Drill rig



March 11, 1947.

s. A. FULLER DRILL RIG Filed Dec. 20, 1944 -34 .ivf-2 INVENTOR Sco A. Fu//er BY 6 HIS ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 11,l 1947 UNITED STATES PAT ENT O FFILCE.

attimi?l i DRILL RIG Scott A. Fuller, Gakland; Calif. Application December 20, 194,4, Serial No. 568,953:

6 Claims.

The invention relates to a portable machinists drill.

The broad object of the invention is the provision of an improved portable machine for drilling holes and performing other cutting operations on structural members already in place, or which for some other reason cannot be taken to a drill press, More specifically objects of the invention include the provision in such a machine, of safety devices for preventing breakage of bits, `and in- `iury to the workman; of devices for the more convenient erection and handling of the machine at the job site; and of precision adjunets for the settingV and operation of the'cutting bits within small tolerances previously unknown with tools of this general type.

My invention possesesotherv objects and features of value, some of which with the foregoing will be set forth in the following description of the invention. It is to be understood that I do not vlimit myself to the showing made by the said description and the drawings as l may adopt variant forms of the invention Within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a drill rig embodying my invention; Portions of the structure are omitted and other portions are sectioned to more clearly disclose the construction.

Figure. 2 is a .cross-sectional view, the plane of section .being indicated Kby the line 2--2 of Figure `1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the armand feed screw link, the .plane ofV section being indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

In many kinds of building operations, includingthe construction of ,ships and water borne` vessels of all types, as well as the erection of steel Work in land building, it is necessary to perform various cutting operations on structural members after they have been erected in place, or in preparation for such erection. Such operations include drilling, counterboring, reaming and not infrequently surface facing ofY bearing bosses, sometimes on the farside of the member.

These operations, especially in the steel workA of ships, may have` to'be done'on members lying at various angles to the horizontal; or perhaps the `operation must be carried out on the underside of a deck beam, or in a restricted area such as a corner. In all places ,Where machines of this typeare in use, they are recognized as dangerous tothe operator; and given to costly breakage of the drills which are the cutting toolsl mostfre.-

quentlyiusedfwithnthem;

After drilling ahole; it is 'frequently desired'lto ream it to size, or perform some other operation about the same center; or pnarhapslremove and rep-lace thetdrill or other cutting tool. When close accuracy isrequired, these thingsl are not easily or quickly donel with the. portable., drills commonly available inthe Shipyards.

In the drill rigofmypresent invention, I have tried `to meet these. needs and provide a. precision mechanism readilyfset,y up, and with whichall operations within its range may be quickly and accurately performed withsafety to theiopera.-` tor and amin'fmum of breakage. This application isa continuation-impart of my copendingapplication ofthe same'title, Serial lNo. 490,740, filed pyme June-lll, 19.43, which applicatioml aban doned subsequent tothe ling of` the present application. Y l

Iii-terms lofbroadinclusion, the drill rigof my invention comprises. an extensible supporting column having` an automatically adjustable foot at one end anda manually adjustable head screw at theother'en'd, so that the Icolumn may be set up or erectedl instable condition between floor and ceiling elements, or between any conveniently placed structural members. the column and rotatably mounted thereon are a=pair of arms, one extending out laterally from the column; and the other` pivotally mounted with` respect to the first and selectively extending at a right angle thereto in clock-hand fashion.

The arms are for supporting a motor, which rotates the drill or other cutting bit; and means are provided for fixedly securing Ythe motor toa selected arm and for controlling it so that the bit` is advanced intothe Work or withdrawn as required,y Inseverable key means are also provided kto lockthe arms and column rigidly to-` gether, and to be operatedeither to lock or unlock the parts by a hammer blow.

To make accurate resetting of the tools possible, means are provided for locating the position `of the supporting arm by'impingement against fixed stopsadjustably positioned on ythe gcolumn..

In greater detail, my drillrig comprises a cylindrical supporting column formed of the vtelescoping tubes 2 and 3. These tubes are fixed in y rough adjustment relative-to each other by a pin passing through a hole near the top of the lower'and outer tube 2, and a selected one of the holes Binthe smaller and inner tube.

Slidable axially of provided near each end with hardened points I2, which bite into the supporting surface to which the shoe automatically adjusts itself because of its pivotal mounting. Y

The upper end of the tube 3 is similarly closed with a block I3, through which the head screw I4 is threaded. The head screw is provided withk a hardened point I6, and is rotated to jam the point I6 into the upper supporting structural member, by the knobbed handle rod I'I loosely 10 carried in the enlarged body I8 of the screw. A lock nut I9 provides means for securing the screw Y after setting. It is clear from the above that the pivoted two-point support of the column at the bottom, and the single point at the/top provide eiiicient means for setting up the column between spaced structural members, even though not. parallel; and that the column is held securely against lateral displacement and rotary move-A ment about its own axis. 20

Slidably mounted on the column is a sleeve or hub or collar V2l whichis also rotatable on the column. On diametrically opposite sides, the sleeve is formed with heavily thickened walls to form extensions 22 and 23, the latter being continued 5 outwardly laterally of the column in the arm 24, having the shape of an inverted T. The horizontal flange (cross bar of the T) of the arm merges into the lower bead 26 of the sleeve, which on the opposite side of the sleeve from the arm merges 3o into the large flat boss 2l, which forms the face Y or end of the extension 22. At the upper margin of the sleeve, the bead 28 extends from the top portion of the boss 21 around the sleeve and extension 23 to merge with theV verticalY web or -35 flange of the arm. The construction just explained is of great importance since in operation, it is subjected to stresses of considerable magnitude; and any failure at this point would be fatal to the success of the job underway at the time, as well as dangerous to the operator. Y

The length of the arm 24 may be varied within readily ascertained practical limits.Y I have foundan arm about 2l inches longV on acolumn having a diameter of 21/2 inches quite satisfactory. It will be noted that the face ofthe boss 2 lies in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the under side of the arm 24. Rotatably mounted on this boss is a second Tfshaped arm 29, which may be selectivelyadjusted-to extend radially like a clock-hand in any .direction from its rotary axis.V The arm is formed on one side of al hub 3l, which' terminates in awplateY orflange `32, provided'with a short extension 33, rotatably seated in a com` plementary bearing formed,A in the face of the boss 2l.,V A screw 34 through the hub 3|, and threaded into the thickened wall 22of` the sleeve, is turned by the swivel handle 36, and provides convenient means for fixing the arm'29 in ad justed position. It will be readily apparent that with clock-hand adjustmentof the arm 29 on the sleeve, and the rotary and axial adjustments' of the sleeve on the column, the end portions 0f the arm 2f?, or the arm 29 can be quickly located in substantially any desired position. Y Supported on a selected one of the arms, as for y example the horizontal arm 2d, as shown in Figure v1, is a prime mover or'motor 4I, by which" the drill e2, or other cutting tool orbit is held and driven. The motor may be ofelectric or air type, and its Y,housing isprov'ided vwith handles 43Vby which the counter "torque resulting from' rotating the -cuttin'gtool iscarried. The cutting tool ordr'ill'42as shown inFigurel may be the 75 common type with a taper shank M engaging a I the ring 49, which is part of a bracket carried by the arm M.AV The link thus performs .both the functions of a link supporting the motor from the arm for a universal movement thereon, and a feed screw to move the motor and its drill toward and away from the work. Fats 5I on the upper part of the link provide a wrench hold by which the link is manually turned.

The universal mounting of the link permits an Y important adjustment of the drill laterally, under conditions which would make setting difficult and slow if the motor and drill were held rigidly in a fixed axis. It also permits drilling in an axis not'in parallelism with the axis of the support-Y Because the feed screw link is capable of controlled feeding in either direction, my rig may be used, with appropriate cutting tools, for spotfacing even on the far side of a structural member from the motor. Perhaps the most important advantage ofthe feed screw link assembly, at least from the view point of the operators safety, is its complete control of the movement of thedrill, so .that the tendencyl of the drill to hog in, Y,when the point breaks through or for Aany ,other reason, is under effective restraintV and the regular and desired feeding movement Y is continued through the critical moment.

The socket ring 49 also performs an additional function, which is that lof a clamp or locking means for fixing the bracket slide 52 rigidly on the arm. The socket ring is formed like a star handwheel with short spokes or lugs, extenfriingV fromk the central ring to facilitate turning'itin the bracket slide into which it is threaded asbest shown in Figure 3. The bracket slide .52 comprises a main body or ring with internal threads 54 to receive the threads of the socket ring, and provided with oppositegrooves 55,50 that it may be slipped over the end of the yarm, the lugsl' then bearing on the upper face of the horizontal flange of the arm; and the end Yface of thev socket vring bearing against the lower face of the 'ange' Vwhen itistightened. Because the: bracketis most conveniently 4moved the short distance for fine adjustment by tapping Awith 'a' hammer, tapeY Y ping lugs lare formed on oppositefsidesjofthe bracket body, these lugs'beingspaced from' and lying directly belowthe arm as shown in Figure l: The proportions and arrangementof the parts 'is such-that only a smallamount'of turning of the socket ring engages or `frees Ytheendface of the ring from Vthe under side of thei'rarmyso Ythat the bracket is'securely fixed to the arm or freed for adjusting movement along the arm, .as

the ca-.Se may be. YWhen the` bracket is locked to` The end of the iinkv isfpvrefderabiy proviedKy with a short small extension or pin 6I which may be impinged against the end of the drill shank to release the drill. From the foregoing it will be obvious that as occasion requires, the socket ring may be loosened and the bracket assembly moved to the other arm, where the operation is substantially the same as that explained, except that the axis of the cutting tool operation is more in the horizontal plane than the vertical.

The construction of the driving motor 4| is no part of my invention; and of various motors which are available, I have selected one having a threaded socket 62 to cooperate with the threaded male end of the feed screw link. Where motors are provided with other means for the mounting of the link, the link is complementarily formed.

Means are provided for rigidly but releasably securing the sleeve-arm assembly to the column. Cut in the thickened wall 23 of the sleeve is a keyway, tapering in depth as shown in Figure l. A wedge key 50 shaped cylindrically on the inner edge to match the column, is seated in the keyway and prevented from falling out when the parts are assembled by both head and tail lugs 61 and 58. Since the sleeve is frequently removed from the column, means are provided for retaining the key in the keyway, so that loss Will not occur. This is accomplished by forming in the side of the key a shallow groove 69 into which projects a stud on the end of the screw 1I, set in the sleeve wall. Thus the key may be loosened or tightened by the blow of a hammer, but cannot be lost or mislaid when the sleeve-arm assembly is separated from the column.

Since it is frequently necessary to change cutting tools, or for other reasons, lift the drill and swing it to one side, means are provided for retaining the setting of the arm so that the cutting tool may be returned after any change, to the same center or axis of rotation it previously occupied. Partially encircling the column 2, immediately below the sleeve is a stop collar comprising a heavy body 13 and curved arms 14, and which performs a number of functions. A notched draw-bolt l5 extends through the thickened body of the collar, the curvature of the notch matching that of the column; and a nut 16 threaded on the end of the bolt permits tightening of the bolt against the column to lock the stop collar thereon. A spring wire circlet 11 seated in an annular groove at the butt end of the bolt prevents its separation from the collar when the collar is removed from the column.

Preferably the ends 18 of the stop collar arms 14 are separated circumferentially by at least 90 of arc; and the arrangement is such that these ends lie on opposite sides of the key 66 which extends downwardly between them. It will at once be seen that the stop collar when secured in place, not only serves as a stop 0r bearing upon which the sleeve-arm assembly may turn on the column, so that it need not be lifted or jockeyed into place after once being set at the desired heighth, but by setting one or the other arm end 18 snugly against the key after the drill or cutting tool has been set, a permanent stop is provided for resetting the tool in case it must be moved or changed before the operation is done. This of course means that with the stop collar set in position, operation of the cutting tool may be interrupted, the key loosened, the sleeve-arm assembly raised and turned to swing the motor to one side, and the tools changed as required, then all moved back to exactly the original position for a continuance of the job about the same axis or Cal 6 center of cutting, which may or may not require the use of suitable bearing bushings in the hole rst drilled, or adjunctively secured on the work, in accordance with practice well known to the skilled machinist.

I claim:

1. A drill rig of the character described comprising a supporting column, an arm extending laterally of the column, a sleeve to which the arm is secured and adjustable rotatably about the column and. axially thereof, means for locking the sleeve to the column in adjusted position, a second arm connected to the sleeve. and a feed screw having means for selectively engaging either arm.

2. A drill rig of the character described comprising a supporting column, an arm extending laterally of the column, a sleeve to which the arm is secured and adjustable rotatably about the column and axially thereof, means for locking the sleeve to the column in adjusted position, a second arm rotatably connected at one end to said sleeve for adjustment to different radial positions at right angles to the rst arm, and a feed screw having means for selectively engaging either of said arms.

3. A drill rig of the character described comprising a supporting column, an arm extendingl laterally of the column, a sleeve to which the arm is secured and adjustable rotatably about the column and axially thereof, means for locking the sleeve to the column in adjusted position, a plate xed on the sleeve, a second plate rotatably mounted on the first plate, a second arm carried by the second plate and extending at an angle to the first arm, means for locking the second plate in selected rotative position, and a feed screw having means for selectively engaging either of said arms.

4. The combination of an arm for supporting a motor by which a drill is held and driven, of al bracket slidable on the arm and having an opening therein, a clamp ring threaded into said opening and seating against the arm, said ring and arm providing a ball socket, and a link for supporting the motor and having a ball-end in said socket.

5. In a drill rig, a cylindrical column, a sleeve movably mounted on the column and having an arm thereon for carrying the drill, a collar adjustably xed on the column and on which the sleeve bears axially, spaced stops on the collar, and a stop on the sleeve between the spaced stops for limiting rotary movement of the arm on the column.

6. In a drill rig, a cylindrical column, a sleeve movably mounted on the column and having an arm thereon for carrying the drill, a collar adjustably fixed on the column and on which the sleeve bears axially, spaced stops on the collar, and a wedge key for locking the sleeve to the c01- umn and extending between said spaced stops.

SCOTT A. FULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,150,312 Stas Aug. 17, 1915 1,245,360 Lutz Nov. 6, 1917 1,101,966 Schoenky June 30, 1914 1,742,689 Chandler Jan. 7, 1930 858,217 Rommes June 25, 1907 1,491,865 Kelly Apr. 29, 1924 

